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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23370319">One Last Quest</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansalt/pseuds/oceansalt'>oceansalt</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Demigods at Hogwarts, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Percy Goes to Hogwarts, Percy is a Wizard, Slytherin!Percy, Wizard Percy, Wizard Percy Jackson, Wizard!Percy, wizard!Percy Jackson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:42:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,098</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23370319</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansalt/pseuds/oceansalt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy certainly wasn’t happy with going into such a dangerous quest. He had no backup, no place to go if things go bad, and he struggled with remembering important details that could out him. This was a quest unlike any other that has ever been conducted by Camp Half-Blood. It was an infiltration. Like a spy.</p>
<p>He didn't even know if he would make it out alive.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>526</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Halfway through term, she noticed him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at a boy donning the classic green and silver tie that marks Slytherin. He was sitting silently at lunch, reading a newspaper, and taking small bites of his food every now and then. Other Slytherins surrounded him, and occasionally leaned over to chat with him. He looked older, a seventh year perhaps. He was quite good-looking, with his jet black hair and prominent jawline. He looked up at the student across from him and she could make out his piercing sea-green eyes all the way from the Gryffindor table. She was intrigued, but not because she thought he was attractive. Instead, she could swear that she had never seen him before at Hogwarts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who’s that?” She asked out loud to Harry and Ron, keeping her eyes trained on him, being hardly subtle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ron, mouth full of food, looked up. “Who?” He managed to mumble.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione gave him a quick look of disgust, but she was well used to it at this point. “Him,” she nodded over to the boy. “Slytherin, sitting next to Greengrass.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ron followed her line of sight until it settled on the teenager in question. “Jackson?” He questioned, shovelling another forkful of food into his mouth. Harry had turned around to look, but turned back around once he saw who it was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jackson?” She questioned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Percy Jackson?” Harry squinted his eyes at Hermione. “He’s a Hogwarts student, seventh year?” He asked, trying to remind the girl of the older student.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ron snorted, “Yeah, and all the girls go crazy over his good looks and charm. Don’t tell me you have never noticed him before.” He said, rolling his eyes. “Remember when he had to fend off all of those singing Valentines grams in second year?” He chuckled, looking at Harry. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry smiled and shook his head as he chuckled. “Oh, I remember that. I bet he got more grams than Lockhart himself did.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione narrowed her eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That was odd,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought. She had never seen Ron be so friendly when talking about a Slytherin. She shook her head and looked back at Percy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was still confused. She could remember the events they were describing vaguely, but nothing more than that. She blinked in surprise when the boy picked up his head, and stared straight into her eyes. His expression hardly changed, looking uninterested, and he turned back down at his lunch. Ron looked up at her, still staring, and frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re getting a crush on him, too,” he groaned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She finally looked away, taken aback. “Of course not!” she exclaimed. She looked at Harry, “I just.. “ She trailed off. “Something feels weird.” She placed her fork down, unaware she was still holding it. “I can hardly remember him, I barely even recognize him at all!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry looked at her, worried, “He’s been at Hogwarts for seven years. Are you feeling alright?” He placed the back of his hand up to her forehead.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed as she swatted it away, although he still looked concerned. “I’m fine.” She said firmly. However, her thoughts were still in turmoil, as she glanced back down at her plate. Was something wrong with her? Hogwarts was a small school. Why couldn’t she remember a student two years above her?  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione finally noticed Harry and Ron had stood up, but she didn’t listen to them as they spoke. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, still lost in thought, as she followed her friends out of the Great Hall, and to class.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Percy sipped on his Coke, casually flipping through the paper in his hand. He pretended to read it, acting intrigued in the words that he wasn’t actually reading. His eyes glossed over the words as he sat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So far, everything seemed fine. No one stared at him, asking him who he was. Instead, they pulled him into the conversation a few times, appearing friendly and familiar. He fit in seamlessly, and no one at the Slytherin table had asked him why he had just appeared out of thin air.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Except one thing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could feel someone staring a hole into his head, and silently he cursed. The Mist wasn’t a perfect thing, and they weren’t sure it would work at all, even with Hecate’s help. However, he had prepared for this. There were bound to be a few people who would be unaffected by the Mist. He was lucky that only one person had noticed so far.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His best hope was that they would be convinced they were the problem, and that he had been there the whole time. After all, his cover was that he was quiet, kept to himself, and mysterious. No one knew much about him, other than some basics.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up, making eye contact with a brunette who was staring at him, curious. He looked up at her, bored. He raised an eyebrow at her, before looking away, his expression not changing one bit. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He certainly wasn’t happy with going into such a dangerous quest. He had no backup, no place to go if things go bad, and he struggled with remembering important details that could out him. This was a quest unlike any other that has ever been conducted by Camp Half-Blood. It was an infiltration. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like a spy, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought sarcastically, taking a bite out of an apple.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy was brought back to the world by the students around him standing up. He grabbed his bag, and followed them out of the Great Hall. He slowly navigated towards his first official class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hopefully he would be more inconspicuous there.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Percy leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, gazing at the Headmaster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You called for me?” He asked, seemingly bored as he stared at Dumbledore. He disliked the old man already, although he wasn’t entirely sure why. He could sense something underlying in the man, something not quite sinister, but… close. Dumbledore was clearly used to calling the shots, and the fact that he had no power over Percy probably unnerved him. After all, he was here on the Gods’ wishes, and he could easily leave as quickly as he arrived. Regardless, he had no time for the man to try and charm him with polite discussion, and he made that very clear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dumbledore’s eyes lost their normal cheerful glint as he sat forward in his seat, clasping his hands together on the desk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have some… contacts in the Forbidden Forest.” Dumbledore started, “There have been some reports of something stirring in the forest. Something from your world.” He peered down at Percy from the top of his glasses. “I can only hope that you will deal with this for me, and not expose your true purpose to the school.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy raised an eyebrow. “Monsters, here at Hogwarts? You’re sure about this?” He asked, distracted, thinking about how monsters could be in Europe. The Gods moved to New York hundreds of years ago, and everything should’ve come with them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dumbledore settled back in his seat, delicately placing his arms on the armrests. “I am confident in my sources. I do not pretend to know the ways of your world, but the evidence is quite clear.” He said calmly, not revealing anything about what he thought. “If you need anything, I will do my best to assist. I will ask you to meet with me again soon, to discuss your involvement with helping the Order. But for now, it can wait.” He said, in clear dismissal.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy stood up and nodded to the Headmaster, glad to just leave his presence. He exited the grand doors of his office, thinking about what this meant as he jogged down the stairs. Every single thing belonging to Greek mythology should have moved over to America with the Gods. Yet, there are still some here lurking in Scotland, where the gods have never even been. He supposed it was possible that they remained from the God’s time in Europe and simply wandered throughout the lands. It seemed unlikely, but possible.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The only other option would throw off the course of his mission, and he dreaded to even think about it. If monsters were in Europe, it could mean that they, or something that controlled them, are here for a specific reason, and he doubted that they were here just for him. It could mean that Voldemort was teaming up with the monster part of the Greek world. If that happened, he would need backup, as he couldn’t take them all out by himself. Although...</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He paused in his thinking, and looked down at his hands, closing them into fists and reopening them. He looked away, shaking his head. He didn’t want to get cocky about his own abilities, but revealing his world to the wizards would be dangerous.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could handle it on his own for the time being, and he could call in others when he needed it. If it came to it, he could handle the wizards just assuming he was some type of half-breed. Or that he was the only one of his kind. Either would work. He needed to protect his world as much as he could. They were the last resort.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he walked silently down the empty hall, his unbuttoned robes billowed behind him. It was early in the morning on a Saturday, and hardly many students would be awake, especially near Dumbledore’s office.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he mulled over what type of monster he would be fighting, he saw something in the corner of his eyes. A shadow was hiding behind a wall, and he turned his head sharply to look at it, tensing up. He abandoned all subtlety, allowing whoever was there to know he was aware of them. He gripped the wand tucked inside his robes with one hand, while the other held Riptide. He waited for whoever was there to show themselves. The shadow disappeared behind the wall, and he could hear footsteps walking away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He waited until he could tell that he was completely alone, before he allowed himself to relax. You could call him paranoid, and he wouldn’t disagree. He still didn’t know how many people could see through his cover. If he wasn’t on edge, he could instantly be revealed as a foreigner infiltrating Hogwarts. He could do magic of course, and Hecate did her best to pump him with knowledge before he left, but he was still relatively untrained.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And after Tartarus, he believed it was well within his right to be a paranoid son of a bitch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He shook himself off, relaxing his muscles, before walking away. It was time to go take care of something.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Percy stood in front of the Black Lake, thinking about the fight he had in the woods. Nothing that he couldn’t handle, but it was surprising to see three monsters gang up to attack him. He could hardly tell what they were in the thick foliage of the trees and the darkness, but he knew them. One empousa and two harpies. He dreaded to think about what this meant. It was becoming quite unlikely for them to just be there. He knew they were there for a purpose, and the thought scared him. The worlds were going to mix, but he was going to try and stop that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy gazed into the inky abss. He could hear the wildlife chattering, feeling his presence. He snorted at something a particularly sarcastic fish had to say, before noticing that someone was approaching him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tensed, still on alert after his scuffle in the woods. He turned ever so slight, and relaxed out of his fighting stance when he recognized it as the female who could see through the Mist. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hermione</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he reminded himself of her name.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was quite unfortunate that it turned out one of the so-called Golden Trio could see through his cover. Although he was only here to protect Harry, that was extended to protecting his closest friends, specifically Ron and Hermione, as they helped Harry through what he must accomplish. Therefore, he was watching over her too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed that she approached him alone, although he saw Ron and Harry standing in the background, waiting for her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before she could even open her mouth, Percy beat her to it. “Can I help you?” He asked, an eyebrow raised. She blushed red, but squared her shoulders. She started to say something, but stopped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s on your shoulder?” She asked, confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy craned his neck, and dusted his shoulders off. It was gold dust from the monsters. Crap. Hopefully she wouldn’t think too much of that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His mouth quirked into a smile. “Leftovers.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She scrunched up her face. “From what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Slytherin stuff. Don’t worry about it.” He said dismissively. “What do you need?” He asked, shifting the focus of the conversation. Percy could tell that she hadn’t really thought through her plan of talking to him. It was easy with how much she paused, and appeared nervous.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” She asked him, bluntly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy was shocked on the inside, although he didn’t let her know it. She was more forward than he gave her credit for. Regardless, it was time to put his acting skills to work.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m a student?” He trailed off, laughing nervously. “I’m sorry, what are you getting on about?” He put on his best “concerned” looking face. “I know we hardly crossed paths, but I would hope you don’t ask that to every student you don’t talk to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She appeared to lose her confidence and started to stutter very slightly. “I- I mean I’ve never seen you before a few days ago. You have an American accent, the only one in the entire school. I think I would remember that. Ron and Harry both seem to like you, even though you’re a Slytherin. Despite that, I can’t remember one single thing about you for the love of my life!” She ranted, frazzled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy tilted his head, and gave a coy smile. “I don’t know if I should be offended or not that you haven’t noticed me.” He said, and she instantly flushed again. “Well, to answer your questions, yes I was born in America, but we moved here when I was eleven, just in time to start Hogwarts. I’ve been here since first year. You probably don’t know much about me because I like to keep to myself, and I am a Slytherin after all. Your lot hates us.” He said, trying to explain himself without sounding defensive.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>As Ron and Harry watched Hermione talk with Percy, they both frowned. Albeit, for very different reasons.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry thought about seeing Percy come out of the Headmaster’s office. Why did Dumbledore want to talk with Percy, but never give Harry the time of day? It was so unfair. Percy wasn’t a prefect, or a Quidditch captain, or the one who has a cursed scar and is expected to take down Voldemort, all while getting bad press from the Ministry and made to look like a foolish dunderhead. No, Percy was none of these things. He was just a regular student, yet Dumbledore didn’t ignore him. He only ignored Harry.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Perhaps he was just being jealous and bitter. Although he didn’t want to admit it. Dumbledore was a headmaster of a school after all, and sometimes he needs to talk to students. Harry shook his head as he kept walking. He couldn’t think of one possible reason Dumbledore would need to talk to Percy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was broken out of his thoughts by Ron making a face. “Do you think she really does have a crush on him now?” He asked Harry, keeping his eyes trained on the pair. “She claims she doesn’t, but I reckon she does. She’s practically obsessed with the guy now. Staring at him all throughout breakfast, and now she’s interrogating him. A Slytherin, of all people!” He said, unhappily. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry shrugged, keeping quiet. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> quite unusual that Hermione had latched onto Percy, but Harry was beginning to secretly agree with her suspicions. Something about Percy unsettled him. It was unnerving how perfect he seemed, and Dumbledore’s special interest in him. He was good-looking, a good student, mostly kept to himself yet charming. He reminded him of an evil Cedric.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Cedric. His chest panged at the thought, and he looked down at the ground, suddenly wishing that he was anywhere else. Cedric was still a sore topic for Harry to talk, or even think about. There was another person who had died for Harry. If Harry had just taken the damn goblet, he would still be alive. If Harry just didn’t exist, Cedric would still be alive right now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry stopped his depressing thoughts by Hermione returning to them. “Finally!” Ron groaned. “Thought you would never stop drooling over that bloke.” He muttered, turning to walk back to the castle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do not drool over him!” Hermione exclaimed. She seemed flustered, and marched away to the castle, leaving the boys to catch up with her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you call that then?” Ron demanded, as they hurried to the Gryffindor common room. “You’re stalking him. What other reason could you have? At least you could’ve chosen someone else other than a bloody snake.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione stopped abruptly, and Harry almost crashed into her. “A snake?” She barked out, amused. She lowered her voice. “If you don’t seem to remember, you were practically singing praises about him earlier. And now you’re calling him a snake?” She whispered furiously. She sniffed, turning her head away from them, and continued walking quickly. “I just think there’s something suspicious about him, and I want to get to the bottom of it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ron rolled his eyes, and Harry looked away. He didn’t want to upset his best friend any further, but he silently agreed with Hermione. No one from Slytherin could be trusted, after all, and Percy did act strange.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He vowed to himself that he would just watch him. He might be a Death Eater, after all.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter took 3 days to write so i have no excuse for being gone for a month, but enjoy this double long chapter. also happy quarantining! i tend to lose steam for fics, but i actually have a plot for this one, so maybe i'll update it occasionally. seeing comments give me motivation, so please tell me what you think about this fic, and hopefully i'll be updating soon!</p>
<p>see you guys, maybe not in another month lol. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Percy’s day began by sitting in the Headmaster’s office. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was starting to get bored with this pattern. He preferred to stay away from Dumbledore as much as he could. Despite the heebie jeebies he gets from the man, spending too much time with him could be a red flag for other students. Especially Harry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy has been called oblivious, sure, but he’s not oblivious when it comes to missions. At least, not now. He can tell Harry distrusted him, and he wasn’t sure if it was just from Hermione’s suspicion or his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At a predicament like these, he couldn’t help but curse that blasted hat and Dumbledore’s insistence on “tradition.” They wouldn’t just let him join Gryffindor, but insisted that he was to be sorted as it was “proper.” He knew that being in Slytherin would completely derail his quest. He had pleaded with the hat, practically begging him to at least put him in Hufflepuff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, the hat insisted on Slytherin. Now he was stuck in the House known for being Death Eaters, the exact opposite of what he wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I called you here, because I fear that I am going to be leaving very soon.” Dumbledore began calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy sat forward in his chair. “What do you mean you’re going to be leaving?” He asked, eyes narrowed. Things would get a hell of a lot more difficult if Dumbledore was gone, even though he didn’t exactly like him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter has assembled a club in order to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts. As you might know, Professor Umbridge has banned all organizations without her permission, and you also may be able to conclude that Harry does not have such permission. I fear that they will be revealed soon. If they are, I will be taking responsibility for them. Harry is already under tense scrutiny from the Ministry, and I cannot let them have a reason to expel him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy settled back in his chair, frowning. “If you left, am I correct in assuming Umbridge would be named Headmaster?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dumbledore remained silent, but gave a small nod. Percy cursed softly in Ancient Greek. He was smart enough to keep his head down around her, but that might not keep him safe forever. If she even disliked him in the slightest, she could do whatever she wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two professors at Hogwarts have been informed of your existence and duty. Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. They are both part of the Order and I have the utmost trust in them. When I am gone, you will be able to go to them for any assistance.” Dumbledore said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy hummed, taking in the information. He was going to have to be a lot more careful than he had been previously. In the process of getting Harry to trust him, he could set off Umbridge’s alarm bells. He thought about the Order, and the two professors in it. “You’ve mentioned before that you wanted me to attend an Order meeting. What’s your reasoning behind that?” He asked, curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you agree to attend an Order meeting, only my closest few will be in attendance. I will leave you the decision on telling your identity to them, but it is vital that they know of you. They can help your quest, and they are among my most trusted.” Dumbledore peered over his glasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy gave a short laugh. “It’s not really up to me if I’m allowed to tell them. The Gods are fickle-” Thunder boomed in the distance, amidst the clear skies. “They tend not to allow many mortals to be opened to our world. I’ll have to wait for a clear sign from them.” Dumbledore nodded at this. “Regardless, I’m open to meeting the members of your club, but it has to be only those you truly trust. No rats.” He warned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dumbledore nodded. “Of course, only those that have my fullest confidence” Dumbledore settled into his chair. “I would also like to discuss matters of you perhaps joining the Order?” He questioned, tilting his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy raised an eyebrow, surprised. “You don’t think that a supposed Seventh year at Hogwarts joining the Order is suspicious?” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dumbledore gave a small smile. “Ah yes, I would prefer for you to wait for your graduation before you were introduced to the rest of the Order, but we are not far from the end of the school year. There are but a handful of months left. I do not foresee this conflict ending any time soon, and I would like to secure you as a trusted member in our ranks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy pondered the idea. “You don’t have any sort of initiation ritual or anything?” He asked, rubbing the tattoo on his left forearm. He was well aware of the Death Eater mark, and it was an awful coincidence that the Roman legion tattoo rested in the same place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes filled with mirth. “Nothing of the sort. Just a pledge of loyalty to our purpose.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy nodded. “I’ll join, I suppose. I’m here until the end, aren’t I?” He let out a short, humorless laugh. If Dumbledore was unnerved by that, he didn’t let it show.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Perseus, for your contribution to our fight. Now, I believe that breakfast is about to start. I think you would do well with a nice meal before your day of classes.” Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy gave him a nod, and stood up. He stretched a tiny bit before exiting, jogging down the stairs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Great, more classes to attend</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Time to get them over with.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy was sitting in the Slytherin common room, in front of the fire. He was doing homework, surprisingly. He had to at least turn in some work to make the teachers non-suspicious of him, but he still barely knew what he was doing. However, he figured that some of the stuff he learned would be useful, even if he didn’t really know much of what he was doing. Hecate’s training was more focused on fighting and performing spells, and not what any of this stuff was about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He perked up when he heard Draco start talking. Specifically, what he was talking about. He pretended to work on his homework, as he listened in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you all heard that ol’ Dumbledore got himself in trouble again?” Draco smiled, leaning back on the leather couch. “Umbridge wanted us to expose Potter’s little club. Caught him red-handed. Although that blasted man took responsibility for it, letting Potter go free.” He frowned, upset at the thought. “No matter though, Fudge issued Dumbledore’s arrest. Umbridge is filling in for him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A girl next to him sniffed. “A terrible excuse of a professor, let alone a new Headmistress. I fear the upcoming months.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco looked at her sharply, but settled back into his seat. “She’s foul, for sure, but at least she makes those Gryffindor lives hell. It’s about time us Slytherins get a break. I quite fancy the new chances around here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, please, Draco, would you sacrifice our OWLS just to make sure the Gryffs get hell for a while? Personally, I would rather deal with a semi competent professor and Headmaster than that oaf Umbridge.” Another kid said, and Percy struggled to remember his name. Blake? Blaine? “All the Ministry does is ruin everything they touch.” The boy scowled, crossing his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Ministry won’t even accept that You-Know-Who is back because of their cowardice, do you think that they are competent enough to do anything else?” Draco laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sharp silence fell across the room. Quills stopped scratching across parchment, chess pieces no longer moved across the board. The only sound in the room was the fire that crackled away. The room felt thick and suffocating, and it was hard to breathe with the tension in the air. The kids stopped pretending to do their work, but instead listened to the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “We all know he’s back.” Draco defended himself, looking around, desperate for someone to take his side, but trying to appear confident. “There is no denying that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how do we know he’s back?” Another girl, perhaps a bit older than Draco, calmly said. “The only proof is Potter’s word. Even the Minister denies any claims of that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Potter,” Draco scoffed. Draco paused, trying to find the right words, well aware of the entire room’s attention on him. “Regardless of our affiliations, it would be unwise for any of us to deny his return. The war is only going to continue, and faking blindness isn’t going to be very beneficial.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The silence continued, and even Percy felt the slightest bit uncomfortable sitting by the edge of the room. A few scattered lights scarcely illuminated the common room, casting shadows across the student’s faces. The fire seemed subdued, and hid in the corner of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think all of us are aware of each other’s family’s view.” The same girl began. “Most of us are in the same position. However, with that being said, I would advise all of you to remain tight-lipped. We’re Slytherins, we know better than to paint a target on our backs, and we all know the rest of Hogwarts is prejudiced against us. Let us not give them a reason to act upon their beliefs. Even in the common room, I ask that you keep your opinions to yourself. You never know who is listening.” She finished, and Percy began to realize that she was a figure of authority for the Slytherins, maybe even Head Girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her words seemed to be the end of the conversation, and slowly the chatter and noise became louder as everyone returned to what they were doing. Draco looked around the room, staying silent. His eyes locked with Percy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy figured that he should go talk to Draco. Even though he was dreadfully annoying, stuck up, and a bully, he knew the basic background info on him. Only son to a wealthy family with pureblood views, who are confirmed Death Eaters. While he wouldn’t make any excuses for the way Draco bullied Harry and his friends, he knew that he had a certain image to uphold. Even if Percy couldn’t get anything useful out of Draco, it would still probably be a good idea to at least converse with him a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But as he stared at the boy, not really participating in the conversation around him, he figured not now. He didn’t even know what to say, and it would be better to get him alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy turned back to his work, scratching his quill across the parchment as he wrote about Defense Against the Dark Arts theory.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>was gonna add another scene but this already was pretty length; no worries it will be in the next chapter!</p><p>kinda filler-ish, but necessary. hope you enjoy!</p><p>(i accidentally uploaded this chapter to my other story im an idiot lmfaooo)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On Saturday morning, Percy wasn’t exactly sure what the day would look like. Due to him trying to blend in the shadows, he didn’t exactly have any friends to hangout with, and he already finished his weekend homework. Therefore, he found himself wandering the halls, exploring the castle. He still wasn’t exactly comfortable with navigating, and as a supposed seventh year, he definitely needed to fix that.</p><p> </p><p>He was waiting for Dumbledore’s invitation to the Order’s headquarters, which he figured would be relatively soon, as Dumbledore had been forced to flee a week ago. While praying to his father last night, he had asked for some guidance. He definitely didn’t want to upset the Gods while he acted on his own discretion. However, nothing was left for him, no sign, no dream, nothing. So for now, he was flying solo, making choices on what he thought was best. Although, he was never the best strategist. That was Annabeth.</p><p> </p><p>Percy’s heart panged. He tried not to think too much about her, or Camp for that matter. After Tartarus, they kept their distance from each other, until they ultimately agreed it would be best to seperate. He thought they would only grow stronger because of the horrors they faced together, but they ended up just growing apart. Annabeth kept having nightmares of him controlling poison, which eventually led to her dreaming of him turning his back on the Gods with his new bloodbending power. She was too afraid of him for them to have a healthy relationship.</p><p> </p><p>The rest of camp agreed. Although they didn’t know what happened down there, as neither of them talked about it, they mutually agreed there was a change in Percy. A shift. They whispered about how joyless Percy seemed these days, how frightening he looked. Oh, he knew all about the whispers. The only ones who seemed to like him before he left were Nico and Jason, although they were busy with their own things. Hazel and Frank could be added to that list, but they had their duties at Camp Jupiter.</p><p> </p><p>He had become alienated at camp, and it felt all too much like the time when he was recently claimed. He absolutely hated it. He knew that he would never have a normal life, and he could admit that his life was a mess after him and Annabeth separated. He didn’t really have a purpose, as he couldn’t really graduate high school. The Mist could only manipulate his records so much before someone got suspicious. College in New Rome seemed like a waste, and he wasn’t even sure what he would pick as a career. The only thing that seemed to matter was his demigod life.</p><p> </p><p>He would go on quest after quest, and soon they started feeling like missions. Hunt down this monster. Hunt down that monster. Help escort this kid to camp. He did anything he could do to take his mind off his own pain and suffering.</p><p> </p><p>And then this quest came up. An unknown amount of time for completion, although they told him they knew it would be at least a couple years. Help fight this war, and protect this Prophecy kid. Guide him in his mission. He could relate to that.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t an instant or easy decision, but ultimately, he agreed. He needed something different, and he was still lost as a person. At least, by taking this quest, he would have a purpose, and would be doing the one thing he was good at. Fighting.</p><p> </p><p>Tartarus ruined him. It shattered his soul, his motivation, his idea of a purpose. But as he stayed longer in the Wizarding World, he sometimes saw a future. At the very least, a place to escape to. Even though it was plagued with war and horror, he was used to it. Weirdly enough, he sort of felt at home, in a place filled with chaos and disjoint. </p><p> </p><p>Yes, Tartarus ruined him. But, the Wizarding World might be able to mend it. </p><p> </p><p>Percy pulled his mind out of his thoughts as he heard angry voices in the distance. Curious, he quickened his pace, keeping his hand near his wand and Riptide.</p><p> </p><p>“Detention, Mr. Potter!” A shrill voice rang out. Protests immediately followed. Percy rounded the corner and saw Harry standing in front of Umbridge. She held up a hand, smiling cruelly. “If you do not quiet down, your punishment will be extended longer.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry quieted at that, but Percy could see the scowl on his face from here. Percy approached them, intent on intervening.</p><p> </p><p>“Is there a problem here, Professor Umbridge?” He said, loudly.</p><p> </p><p>“Headmistress,” Umbridge snapped, turning. Once she saw who it was, she narrowed her eyes, but seemed reluctant to say anything more.</p><p> </p><p>“My apologies, <em> Headmistress Umbridge </em>.” He drawled, trying to keep the mocking tone out of his voice as much as he could. “I was just interested in seeing if there was anything I could assist with,” he said, as neutral as he could be.</p><p> </p><p>“No, nothing.” She sniffed, turning her nose up to the ceiling. “I was just disciplining Mr. Potter over here,” she turned her head to glare at him, before looking back at Percy. “Hopefully, there will be no more behavior issues.” She said. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Potter?” She asked, her voice a tone of sickly sweet that made Percy’s skin crawl.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” Harry gritted his teeth, looking at the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, what, Mr. Potter?” She smirked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes... Headmistress.” He practically choked out, looking up at her with fury in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Much better.” Umbridge sighed, happy. She seemed to revel in the title. She took one last look at Percy, staring at him. Percy lifted an eyebrow, and remained unmoving. He straightened his back, subtly drawing up to his full height. Umbridge stiffened, before walking away, her heels clacking on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Percy waited for Umbridge to turn the corner before he sighed. “Bitch,” he muttered under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>Harry looked at him, curious. “You don’t like her?” He asked, wanting to talk to Percy, despite his jealousy and Hermione’s suspicion about the Slytherin.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course not,” Percy scoffed. “She’s a power hungry toad, hellbent on showing her rank. Practically no one likes her.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry seemed surprised. “I thought all Slytherin’s liked her. She favors you guys, after all.”</p><p> </p><p>Percy tilted his head. “I wouldn’t make such generalizations about us. Sure, there are those in the ‘Inquisitorial Squad.’” Percy made air quotes around the name, “that practically worship her, but many of us dislike her. She’s awful.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry nodded slightly, but didn’t say much more than that. “Uh… well, thanks.” He began awkwardly. “I don’t think she would’ve left me alone if you hadn’t come by.”</p><p> </p><p>“No problem, Harry.” Percy smiled. He gave him a nod before walking away, leaving Harry standing there.</p><p> </p><p>As he continued making his way down the hall, and outside to the courtyard, an owl flew up to him. It landed on his shoulder, an envelope securely in its beak. Percy carefully took the letter out, conscious to avoid nearing its mouth with his fingers. Owls tended not to like him.</p><p> </p><p>He looked down at the nondescript white envelope, with fancy cursive on the front. He looked around, before tucking the envelope into his robes. A letter from Dumbledore would need to be read somewhere private.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Percy stood in the doorway. The house seemed… old. Dusty, too. Very dusty. There was little light filtering through the windows, and it seemed very quiet. A little too quiet.</p><p> </p><p>After a falsified family emergency, and a trek to Hogsmeade, Percy had met up with someone. He was quite tall, with scars littering his face. He seemed young, but looked old and exhausted. His shoulders sagged, and his robes looked tattered.</p><p> </p><p>Despite all of that, he had given Percy a smile, and reached out for a handshake. </p><p> </p><p>“Perseus Jackson?” The man asked.</p><p> </p><p>Percy flinched almost unnoticeably, but the man frowned. “Please, just Percy.” He smiled back.</p><p> </p><p>The man introduced himself as Remus Lupin before they made their way to what was referred to as “Headquarters.”</p><p> </p><p>Now, he stood in the doorway at what looked like the conference room, which looked like it was mainly a dinner room. In front of him, Dumbledore sat at the head of the table. Two professors, ones that Dumbledore had already pointed out to him, sat near him. Another man, who he didn’t know, sat in another seat. He looked quite ragged, with long shaggy black hair, and an aged look to him. Remus took a seat next to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Percy.” Dumbledore stood up from his seat, smiling, although he looked a little stressed. “Please, take a seat.” He mentioned, gesturing to the seat across from him, the other one at the end. Percy gave a curt nod, feeling a little on edge, even though he knew they were all on the same side.</p><p> </p><p>He had the feeling that demigods and wizards weren’t really supposed to mix. Just like the Greeks and the Romans, although this was entirely different. He felt uneasy being surrounded by so many competent wizards. He supposed the unease came from the fact that he didn’t really know how to fight them. Sure, he could take them out with hand-to-hand combat, but he couldn’t do anything against their spells. He could duck and dodge to his heart's content, but the fact remained that it was hard to dodge flying projectiles that supposedly traveled at the speed of light.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s the one protecting Harry?” The man asked, surprise clear in his tone.</p><p> </p><p>“Sirius,” Remus said sharply, snapping his head to look at him. He didn’t say anything else, although Percy could tell he silently agreed from the lack on his face as he turned back to look at Percy.</p><p> </p><p>Dumbledore and Percy locked eyes, as the ex-Headmaster started to take lead in the explanation. “Percy is not a wizard. Capable of magic, yes, however he has a separate skill set.” Dumbledore said, trying to dance around Percy’s heritage.</p><p> </p><p>“A separate skill set? And what’s that?” Sirius, now identified, demanded. “I’m just looking after Harry’s safety here, and it’s a little hard to believe that a teenager is capable of fighting off You-Know-Who. A non wizard, too. Yet he can do magic? It just doesn’t make any sense.” He stated, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“Settle down, Sirius. During times like his, we need to have trust in Albus’s decisions.” Professor McGonagall spoke firmly.</p><p> </p><p>“I, too, want to know how a child thinks he can battle against the Dark Lord.” Professor Snape drawled, an eyebrow raised.</p><p> </p><p>McGonagall furrowed her eyebrows, appearing quite conflicted. She remained silent, offering no further argument against the others in the room. Seemingly, her own concerns swayed her to agree with them.</p><p> </p><p>Percy closed his fingers around the cold metal in his hand. It had appeared on his nightstand before he had left for Headquarters. A coin with Poseidon’s image. An answer to his questions in his prayers. Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but Percy held up a hand to cut him off before he spoke.</p><p> </p><p>“Have you ever heard of the Greek gods?” Percy asked, tilting his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.” Sirius said. He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you are actually the mighty Zeus, here to use your powers and save us.”</p><p> </p><p>As thunder crackled in the distance, Percy gave a short laugh, amused. “Close, I’ll give you that. But, I’m not a god.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then what do the Greek gods have to do with this?” Sirius asked, clearly an impatient man.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m half-god.” Percy said simply, and gave a small smile at the shock on his face, as well as the rest of the room. “My father is Poseidon, god of the sea. My mother is Sally Jackson, a mortal, or a muggle. That makes me a demigod.” He said.</p><p>“You’re telling me that all those mythology lessons I had to sit through as a child are all true?” Sirius made a face, disbelief still clearly written on his features.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.” Percy said, a little bored. “What’s so hard to believe about the gods? You all are wizards and witches. Clearly, your magic came from somewhere. Specifically, it came from Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can all demigods do magic?” Remus asked. “You say you’re the son of Poseidon, but Dumbledore said you can perform magic.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, the only ones who can do magic are Hecate’s children. Even their magic takes a different form to yours.” Percy explained.</p><p> </p><p>“Then why can you?” Remus questioned. He seemed to be the type who loved to know how things worked.</p><p> </p><p>“Hecate gifted me the power to do your type of magic when I was selected for this quest.” Percy answered smoothly. He didn’t enjoy this barrage of questions, but he knew that the wizards would feel better if they understood a little more.</p><p> </p><p>“So the gods sent you. A teenager, not even a legal adult.” Sirius frowned, displeased. “Did they not take our war seriously?” Sirius demanded, looking around at the other wizards. “Don’t you think they could’ve sent someone more experienced, more seasoned?” <em> More powerful. </em> </p><p> </p><p>Percy heard the words that were left unsaid. They were heavily implied. He was a seventeen year old boy, clearly unfit to fight in the war they had been struggling with for so many years. He understood why they thought that. But they ought to learn not to judge appearances. </p><p> </p><p>A silence settled across the room. Using what Lupa described as a “wolf stare,” Percy locked eyes with Sirius. To his credit, he barely flinched.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m a child of a <em> god </em> .” He stressed. “Is that not good enough for you?” He laughed darkly. “The gods have powers unimaginative to the mortal mind. You cannot even begin to grasp the concept of their strength. Your eyes cannot see their true form, lest it destroys you at the very spot you stood. Your mind clouds at just a hint of their power. Even if I had just a quarter of that power, you should be scared. You should be <em> terrified </em>. The fear should consume you that a powerful being like that walks among you, and shows you mercy.”</p><p> </p><p>He let another silence envelope the room, satisfied that he had quite clearly scared them with his words. By the gods, has he changed. </p><p> </p><p>“Luckily for you, I tend not to flaunt my power. However, to ease your doubt, I’ll tell you exactly what the gods gave you. They gave you a child of the Big Three. The most powerful gods to walk the Earth. Gods don’t meddle in mortal affairs so they gave you the next best thing. Yes, I’m a teenager, but I know how to fight, and I know how war works.” Percy kept his face emotionless, not letting through what he was thinking. “I’ve been in two.”</p><p> </p><p>The room stilled. The gloomy aura of the room was enhanced by the quietness. There was not even a creak of a chair, as the wizards Percy faced remained silent. Dumbledore looked thoughtful, as even he was not exposed to the secrets of the demigod world. The rest had a mixture of surprise, unbelieving, and fear.</p><p> </p><p>“Demigods are nothing like mortals. We’re not even anything like wizards. We’ve been forced to do some terrible things, see awful sights, and live through painful hell.” Percy started off, trying to make his tone a little lighter than before, but his voice quietened. “So, instead of questioning my ability, you should be appreciative of the help you gained.”</p><p> </p><p>After a pause, Dumbledore cleared his throat gently. “Thank you, Percy, for the help you bring us. We are honored that the gods sent aid.” He said, leaning forward on the table, lacing his fingers together. “With this set aside, I believe it is important we start discussing strategy.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Draco and the rest of the Inquisitorial squad sat in Umbridge’s office for one of their frequent meetings. The meeting was drawing to an end, as Umbridge ran out of things to update them. Umbridge took a small sip from her tea cup, before setting it in the saucer, and down on her desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You all are aware of Percy Jackson, aren’t you?” She asked, her shrill voice piercing the silence in the room. At their nods, she continued. “I want you to keep an eye on him. I suspect he is... up to something.” She frowned, her face contorting into an unpleasant shape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. He watched Umbridge as she looked down at her desk. “I realize that he is a fellow Slytherin, but I implore you to let me know as soon as you catch him breaking any rules.” She said firmly, but seemingly lost in her own thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “That is all for now.” She said, looking up at them, smiling. “We will convene again a week from now. Good day.” She dismissed them, looking down at the papers on her desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jackson was a nuisance. Something about him unsettled her, and she wanted eyes on him at all times. She would not hesitate to punish him if he is caught breaking even the smallest rule. Although he was entirely polite in her presence, she felt his disdain for her, and knew that he could act out against her. Something was odd about him, and she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. All she knew was that she didn’t like him. He was a threat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco stood up from his chair, letting the legs scrape against the floor. He exited the room first, the rest of the Squad following him. As soon as the door closed, he spoke. “I want you all to ignore Percy.” He said, not bothering to look at his fellow Slytherins as they walked behind him to the classroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want us to go against Umbridge’s direct order?” Pansy piped up, her nasally voice irritating his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” He snapped. He stopped and turned around to face them. “Look, Jackson is a Slytherin. One of our own. We protect each other. Second, he’s a useful ally. You can feel that he’s powerful, and I don’t want to make him an enemy. No one knows anything about his politics. It’s smarter to leave him alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if she takes our power away when she finds out we ignored her?” Pansy asked, crossing her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umbridge won’t know.” Draco said, rolling his eyes. “We’re the only ones in this whole school that’s on her side. She’s just paranoid. She can sense his power, and wants to make sure he submits to her. But we’re Slytherins. We’re not going to blindly follow her just because of what she can give us. It’s in our favor to stay quiet.” Draco said firmly. “If anyone goes against that, you’ll regret it.” He warned. His little group nodded, and he relaxed his stance, satisfied. “If no one has anything to add, we’re done here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His group dispersed, and Draco was content to walk by himself, lost in thought. Draco had never thought much of the older 7th year. He was never very prominent in the House, or even at school. He kept to himself, a loner. Draco was puzzled by that, as Percy had a lot of qualities that could make him rise to the top. He was very good-looking, which Draco could admit. He had bright sea-green eyes, and sculpted features. He seemed reasonably intelligent, and was a smooth-talker. He had an air of charisma that was only natural for Slytherins, and he held himself with confidence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't know how the older boy could have faded into the shadows so much. Once Draco focused, he could feel the power rolling off him in waves. He was strong, and anyone would be lucky to have him on their side. It could only mean that it was purposeful, that Percy was </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying </span>
  </em>
  <span>to stay hidden. But Draco couldn’t come up with a logical explanation on why. Perhaps it had something to do with his lineage. The Jackson name was not one of a pureblood, and no one knew anything about Percy’s background. But even the most notorious blood purists would overlook half-blood lineage, as long as the wizard was strong, like Percy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco sighed as he entered the library, mulling over thoughts in his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy was sitting in the library, studying. It seemed strange even to him. He hated reading. The letters swam around the page and made his head ache. Normally, he didn’t care for tests, he was too busy focusing on survival. Yet, as he knew his mortal life was a no-go, he seemed interested in at least maintaining a wizard one. Who knows, after the war, he might like to stay, granted they didn’t burn him at the stake for being a demigod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The NEWTs for 7th years were coming up, and even though he was a little behind, he was quickly making progress. He wanted to do something well for once. Plus, it would look a little strange to the people trailing him if he didn’t at least attempt to study.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy stood up slowly, trying to get feeling back into his legs. He needed to look for a different textbook on the subject he was currently studying, Potions. He thought it pretty close to cooking, which he used to do all the time with his mom when he was younger. He figured that this was a good subject to pursue, as he was already doing decently in the class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he perused the rows of textbooks, he noticed someone near him. It was Hermione. She clearly spotted him, as he saw her looking at him through the corner of her eye, yet she kept her back turned. There was an awkward silence between them, as Percy could tell she wanted to talk to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned around and started looking at the books next to him, not so subtly. “Jackson.” She acknowledged, and Percy raised an eyebrow. Very few people referred to him with his last name, as it wasn’t custom in America.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Granger.” He replied, a little amused. A few beats of silence followed before she spoke again. “Harry told us that you said you don’t like Umbridge much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy paused. “Yeah.” He said simply, drumming his fingers on the books. “So?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hermione shrugged, still pretending to thumb through the volumes in front of her. “Just a little weird. Slytherin’s love her, don’t they?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy rolled his eyes, once again cursing Dumbledore’s decision on sorting him. “You sure love your stereotypes,” he muttered under his breath. He saw Hermione frown. “You would be surprised to see how many don’t.” He said louder, yet curtly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just thought Slytherin’s would love her, given how favorable she is to you all. Slytherin’s all seem to be quite. . . power hungry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy reached up with his left hand to place back a book, sighing. His robe sleeve slipped down, showing off part of his forearm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watch your mouth, mudblood.” An angry voice appeared over Percy’s shoulder, and he just knew it was Draco. He heard a gasp, and Percy quickly dropped his arm, his sleeve sliding back down. Hermione placed a hand over her mouth, turning away from them. She grabbed her nearby bag and scurried away, not sparing another word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy stared at her retreating back, and cursed. If one wasn’t paying attention, it could be assumed that Hermione was offended by Draco’s words, and fled. But he knew what his tattoo looked like.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good riddance.” Draco scoffed, although Percy barely listened to him anymore. He spared him a glance, before grabbing his schoolbag and hurrying out of the library. He intended on shutting himself in his dorm room until he could strategize. He needed to fix this, but he didn’t know how.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>As night fell, Hermione huddled around the fireplace with Harry and Ron. Her voice was low, but she had cast a muffling spell for protection. “I’m just telling you what I saw!” She whispered, frustrated. “I saw a black tattoo, right here-” She gestured wildly to her left forearm. Hermione frowned as she looked at Ron and Harry’s faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boys stayed silent, and gave each other a look. Finally, Harry spoke. “Look, Herm, I trust you, it’s just… an actual Death Eater?” He asked, slowly. “I want to believe that he really is, and he’s definitely evil, but. . . .”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why would Malfoy not be a Death Eater, but this random kid is? He doesn’t have pure-blood parents that are known Death Eaters, like Malfoy does.” Ron asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hermione crossed her arms. “Well, I saw a black tattoo on his arm, exactly where the Dark Mark’s are, mind you. So, based on the evidence, I don’t think it’s that hard to believe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ron and Harry shared another look. It felt like they couldn’t really make their mind up about Jackson. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t want to admit that Hogwarts is breached by You-Know-Who’s cronies.” Ron said in a small voice. “If we all agree that he is one, what does that mean for us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, he was a Slytherin, and most definitely evil, and Harry threw out the idea that he was a follower a while ago, but when faced with some evidence, it seems hard to believe. If his tattoo was really a Dark Mark, that meant there was an actual Death Eater in the castle: the fun and thrilling guessing games are over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trio went silent, thinking over the implications.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“A bit scary, innit?” Ron whispered, staring into the fire. Harry nodded beside him. “Hogwarts always seemed like an impenetrable fortress. Scary to see that it’s not.” He continued.</p><p> </p><p>The three sat together, letting the quiet air wash over them. For now, there was nothing more to say.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry i kinda don't like this chapter much. i struggled a lot with writer's block while writing. but anyway, i would love to know what you think of it :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Harry, Ron, and Hermione had mutually decided that avoiding Percy was the best option. With Dumbledore gone, and ignoring Harry, they had no luck in actually doing anything about the Death Eater in the school. The teachers would just chalk it up to paranoia. A 17 year old Death Eater attending Hogwarts? They would laugh. Not to their faces, no, but they would giggle and cackle while their backs were turned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>McGonagall was taken to St. Mungos a few days ago, and now there was no one left to help them. With her out of the castle, Umbridge was just waiting for the right time to strike against them, as hardly any authority figure could stand up to her now. So for now, they kept their head down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, sort of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry whipped his head around, as Umbridge burst into her office, where he had been trying to contact Sirius. She shrieked something, but Harry’s heart was pounding too hard for him to hear her. Someone grabbed his arms and yanked them behind his back, forcing him to a chair. Magical restraints appeared, and he wiggled against the bonds. It was no use, he was stuck to the chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Umbridge’s toad-like face appeared in his vision, and he swallowed, breathing heavily. “You were going to Dumbledore, weren’t you?” She asked, the fake sweetness in her voice made Harry sick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” He said firmly, staring into her eyes, trying to keep a sneer off of his face. The sound of the slap rang in his eyes, and vibrated through his cheek, as his head was forced to the side. He heard gasps to the side of him, and he turned back to face the old bat, angry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could say anything else, Snape entered the room. “You called for me?” He drawled, his monotone voice making him seem bored.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Snape, yes,” Umbride said, dusting her dress off. “Have you brought the Veritaserum?” She smiled thinly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He raised an eyebrow. “You have used up my stores interrogating students, the last of it on Miss Chang.” His eyes didn’t leave Umbridge, and he refused to look at Harry. “I cannot help you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry could tell that Umbridge was furious, failing to keep her emotions hidden as she stared at him. Snape turned to walk away, taking a step outside the door. “He’s got Padfoot.” Harry looked at Snape, more than a little desperate. “He’s got Padfoot in the place where it’s hidden.” He spoke slowly and carefully, making sure to convey the hidden message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Umbridge stared at Snape.. “What does that mean? Who is Padfoot? What is he talking about Snape?” She demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Snape paused, and slowly turned to look at Harry. “No idea.” He drawled, and left the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Umbridge huffed, turning back to Harry. Her rage bubbled over, and she no longer had time for pleasantries. She wanted answers. She turned her back to him, and fiddled with the cuffs on her dress. “You leave me no alternative, Potter. The Cruciatus curse ought to loosen your tongue.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s illegal.” Hermione blurted out, as Umbridge turned around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What Cornelius does not know will not hurt him,” she said softly, as she placed the framed picture of the Minister face down on her desk. She slowly moved in front of Harry, and stared at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Umbridge levelled her wand against Harry, and Harry’s heart beat furiously against his chest. He leaned his head back, trying to get away, but refused to shut his eyes. His hands shook as Umbridge paused, about to speak the words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell her Harry!” Hermione yelled, desperation in her voice. There was a pause in the room, as Umbridge turned her nasty face to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me what?” She questioned, her high-pitched voice giving Harry a headache. Hermione didn’t answer right away, and Harry could tell that the gears were spinning inside her mind as she tried to come up with an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t tell her, I will.” Hermione said, confidently. While she stalled, it seemed that she had come up with an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me what?” Umbridge snapped, piercing Hermione’s gaze with her beady eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dumbledore’s secret weapon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy was training. It was well into the evening, and even though the sun was still shining, the thick trees of the forest made it seem that it was already night time. Percy did two more pushups, before rolling over onto his back to take a break. He was sweating, as the summer heat had finally arrived in Scotland, and he had been working out for a while now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of a branch breaking filled his ears. He jumped to his feet in a low crouch, his sword in his hand in pen form. His eyes darted around, and he looked for the intruder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A large centaur came out from behind the trees, holding his hands up in peace. Percy relaxed, and stood up, putting his pen back into his pocket. He was quite friendly with the centaurs, as they were far more civilized than their kind that ran wild in America. They also knew he was a demigod, and not a wizard, and respected him, as they have heard his name whisper across the lands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perseus.” Firenze started, bowing his head. Percy returned the gesture. Firenze was always the kindest to him. Although they respected him, he was still a human, and that came with its own set of issues. “The stars and planets are giving us great messages.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, right. Their fortune telling. Percy strongly disliked that, but he approached it with respect. He hated the lack of clarity their messages had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They told me that I need to inform you of what has been happening in the forest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy raced through the woods. Twigs and branches snapped at him, scraping across his skin, but he didn’t pay it any mind. He leapt over a low-hanging branch, hitting the ground on the other side with a thud. His heart raced as he kept his legs moving. He had no idea how long ago it was, but it was clear that the ball was starting to roll. He had to catch up to Harry and Hermione before it was too late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy skidded to a stop on the dirt, wildly looking around. He saw evidence of a fight: broken branches, trampled grass, and blood covered the ground. But no one was there. He cursed loudly, and looked up to the sky, seeing movement out of the corner of his eye. He blinked, and squinted. Under the setting sun, he saw faint wings flapping, on what seemed to be the body of a horse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thestrals,” he whispered. He had first learned of them when he had seen them in the forest, and a centaur nearby had explained what they were, and why he could see them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He placed two fingers in his mouth, and did the best taxi whistle he could manage. He needed a ride to follow them, and knew that his beloved mare could no doubt keep up. While he waited, he needed to talk to someone. He fumbled in his pocket, finally wrapping his fingers around a gold coin. He pulled it out, and clenched it in his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy reached out beside him, feeling the water in the lake nearby. He felt the pull in his gut, and water soon came sprawling towards him. He focused, turning the water into mist, and allowing a dazzling rainbow to appear in front of him, as the sunlight beamed through the water.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh Fleecy, do me a solid,” he muttered under his breath. “Show me Albus Dumbledore, Order Headquarters.” He said firmly, although he wasn’t entirely sure if that was where the man would be. The image wavered, but finally stabilized. Sirius, Dumbledore, and Snape were talking furiously, and even Percy could tell the air seemed tense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry left the grounds!” He shouted, and heads immediately turned to face him. “I’m following him. I don’t know where he’s going, but you need to get there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Department of Mysteries.” Dumbledore said softly. He seemed exhausted, already, and his face was slumped. The war was taking a toll, and it had hardly begun.  But Percy could tell he had the fighting spirit left in him, he just didn’t know if that spirit would be enough. “Watch over Harry, and protect him until we can get there.” He instructed. Percy nodded, and swiped through the message, ending the call.  He heard the familiar drum beat of wings flapping, and he knew that Blackjack had arrived.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Blackjack. We’ve got some urgent business we need to attend to.” Percy threw his leg over his trusty companion, and pulled himself on top of his pegasus.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, boss, I heard ya.” Blackjack snorted. “Then can we get donuts afterwards?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy chuckled softly, and shook his head. “Let’s just get this over with first, then I’ll get you some treats.” He said, and urged him to the skies. He had to make sure he didn’t lose Harry, otherwise his blood would be on his hands.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’ll try to keep this short, as I know most people probably don’t read these.</p>
<p>It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated. I don’t even remember where I was going with this fic, as my plot outline fizzles out after this chapter, but I’m just gonna roll with it. I’m also not really promising that I’m going to finish this thing out to the end. As you saw previously, it only took six chapters for me to forget updating, and the way this is set up, it would be quite a lengthy fic.</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks for sticking around. Hope you enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Backed into a corner, clutching the prophecy, Harry cursed. Lucius Malfoy stood in front of him, smug. Harry barely listened to the (supposedly) soothing words the man tried to sway him with. He was too busy strategizing on how he was going to get out of this. He needed time, and a lot of it. Although, it didn’t look like he was going to get out of this one.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Itty bitty Potter,” Bellatrix cackled, twirling her wand around her fingers. She looked as deranged as ever, with dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. “Why don’t you just hand it over?” She pouted, in her cutesy baby voice that sent shivers down his spine. She slowly reached her other hand out, keeping her wand at the ready. “Come on… just put it into my hand.” She smirked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry scowled at her. “And why would I do that?” He mocked. “Just hand over the prophecy? So you could give it to your little half-blood leader?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bellatrix gasped and she snatched her hand away, like she was burnt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Half-blood.” Harry spoke slowly, letting it roll off his tongue. “Did you know he was a half-blood? He’s got a muggle dad… or has he been telling you he is a pureblood this whole time?” Harry smiled slowly, watching Bellatrix’s face turn red.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Watch your tongue, Potter!” She shrieked, her mouth curling into a snarl. “Or I’ll cut it out of your mouth!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lucius held a hand up to stop her, “Bellatrix, quiet.” He hissed quietly, before turning his attention back to Harry. His face eased into a pained smile, and his voice was velvety. “Potter,” He took a step forward, reaching out his hand. “Hand over the prophecy,” his deep voice rattling in Harry’s brain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry took a defensive step backwards, clutching the prophecy to his chest. He could feel the uneasiness of his friends behind him, hearing as they shuffled. He gripped his wand in his hand, looking into the foggy crystal of the prophecy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t you like to know the reason for your connection with the Dark Lord?” Lucius cooed at him, slowly taking steps forward, with an outreached hand. “Why he couldn’t kill you as a baby?” He asked. “Wouldn’t you like to know the answers to everything? It’s all in the palm of your hand.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry swallowed. “I’ve waited fourteen years.” He said, gazing up into the blond man’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know.” He frowned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose I could wait a little longer.” Harry tilted his head. “Now! Stupefy!” He cried out, flinging his wand towards Lucius and Bellatrix. Behind him, he heard his friend’s voices ring out as they cast spells, yet he watched as the two Death Eaters disappeared from view.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry broke into a sprint as the other masked Death Eaters vanished into thin air. His friends instantly followed him, and he could only make out the sounds of their shoes on the ground, the light of their wands barely illuminating the dark room. He turned sharply, making his way around a corner, then skidded to a stop. He flung his arms out, stopping Ron and Hermione in their tracks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lucius Malfoy appeared in front of him, standing tall, with his hand reached out, a glare in his eyes. His face was stern as he remained motionless.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He took a breath, and dashed to the left, going down a different corridor, trying to lose him. He heard Malfoy vanish into the air again, and focused on running faster. He felt a few of his friends behind him, but he stuttered to a stop as he hit a main crossroad again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He squinted as Ron and Hermione came up behind him, their wands outstretched, as more masked Death Eaters appeared on either side of them. In the back of his mind, he registered that the others had gotten separated, yet he knew he couldn’t worry about that right now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stupefy!” He shouted, watching the red light from his wand miss it’s target as the Death Eater disappeared. He continued running as Hermione and Ron chanted the same spell, hearing their heavy breathing as they followed him. The glass felt slippery in his hands from his sweat, and his fingers curled tightly around the prophecy to keep it from slipping.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he dashed into another main corridor, he collided into someone. Quickly jumping back, he saw that it was Neville, with Luna and Ginny. Hermione and Ron came up from behind, and they all stood in a loose circle, glancing at one another.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry turned around, black smoke flying towards them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Reducto!” Ginny shouted, light flying from her wand. The Death Eater was thrown backward, and Harry was temporarily blinded by the white light that filled the room. Suddenly there was silence, yet he tensed, uneasy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He heard it before he saw it. Breaking glass. Then, shelves falling to the ground. Finally, he saw how they all topped over one another, just like dominos.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Get back to the door!” Harry yelled, spinning on his heel. His arms pumped faster than he thought they ever could, and his legs screamed at him, yet he kept going. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They skidded around a corner, and he had to duck from a falling glass ball. He cursed under his breath as prophecies started falling in front of him, dropping from the sky like sharp raindrops.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He saw the door in the distance, and he felt himself running faster, his own glass prophecy still clutched to his chest. He pushed the door open, and immediately was falling. An involuntary shriek came out of his mouth as he fell, as darkness covered his vision.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He felt his body jerk, and stop. Suddenly, he was staring at the ground. The magic breaking his fall let go of him, and he hit the ground. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was silence for a heartbeat. He thought about how his head </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> hurt, and how he could feel blood dripping from his nose. He thought about how he could hear his friends’ heavy panting, most likely injured themselves.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then suddenly, he was curled into himself, trying to protect the prophecy as Death Eaters swirled over them in their weird, dementor-esque forms. He squeezed his eyes shut, gripping his wand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he blinked his eyes open, they stopped. He also noticed he was alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Standing up, his eyes locked onto Hermione with a wand digging into her throat, a masked Death Eater behind her, gripping her hair. He spun around, seeing all of his friends with the same fate.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lucius Malfoy stood in front of him, slowly walking up to him with his cane. “Did you really think that children stood a chance against us?” He slowly smirked, passing by Harry, before turning around with a dramatic flair. “I’ll make this simple, Potter.” He spat at the last word, yet reached his hand forward. “Give me the prophecy,” He forced out through clenched teeth. “Or watch your friends die.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry turned his head away, rubbing his fingers on the cool glass. He glanced over at Luna, with a bloody mouth. His eyes flickered over to Neville, looking defeated, as </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bellatrix </span>
  </em>
  <span>of all people, held him in a tight hold.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath. Letting it out, his eyes flickered to his hand. He swallowed, and slowly brought his hand up, mere inches from Malfoys.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop!” Someone shouted from above. Harry flinched, and his eyes shot upwards. A body fell from the sky, dropping into a roll, and body slammed Malfoy out of the way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To be fair, Percy expected to join the fight a lot earlier than he did. However, he underestimated how hard it would be to find Harry and his friends. Once he got to the Ministry, he fell behind them, but managed to make it to the weird room with a bunch of glass balls, stacked to the impossibly tall ceiling. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then, he was trying to time his entrance just right. But he fucked it up, and chasing after a bunch of teenagers in pitch black darkness, while trying not to let glass fall and shatter on his head, was a little difficult. He could only use the light from their wands as a guide, yet it was somewhat dim, and a bit unhelpful.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t even try and fight the Death Eaters, wand or sword, as they would just vanish into black smoke, and fly away. It was a little infuriating, and he became increasingly more worried as he smelled blood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He halted to a stop as there was complete silence. No screaming, no feet pounding on the ground, there was nothing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Reducto!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His head whipped around as a white light filled his vision, trying to search for the spellcaster. Then, he heard the sound of breaking glass.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lots and lots of breaking glass, and in the distance he saw shelves coming down. “Shit,” he mumbled under his breath, as he broke into a sprint, barely remembering to use the wand clutched in his left hand to blast some of the falling crystal balls out of the way.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He turned a corner, running down the main corridor, before spotting something in the distance,</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Percy finally found the door that Harry entered. He barreled through, and only barely managed to grab the sides of the door frame before falling. His body jerked, and his fingers clenched. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He squinted his eyes, peering down to the sight below him. Harry stood in the middle, holding a crystal glass ball, and being goaded by the platinum blond hair man (like Draco’s, his mind registered) holding a cane. His eyes darted around, and he saw Hermione, Ron, and a few others, held captive by masked Death Eaters.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Give me the prophecy,” The man spoke, holding out his hand, tense. “Or watch your friends die.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry paused, and glanced around. Percy didn’t even know what that crystal ball did (no one really told him much), but he knew that it was probably something important, and that Harry should probably not give it to the Death Eater.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He held his breath, watched as Harry contemplated, before finally raising his arm to hand it over, decided that </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now</span>
  </em>
  <span> was going to be his grand entrance, and he jumped.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The reason I ended last chapter on a cliffhanger is because the writer's block is REAL. reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee</p><p>Also, if you see me reading the previous chapters so I can remember exactly what I wrote, no you did not</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He tried not to flail around too much as he fell, breaking into a roll as soon as he touched the ground. He tensed his legs and immediately sprung forward towards the Death Eaters, who was probably Draco’s dad, and shouldered him out of the way. He tumbled to the side, before hopping up to his feet, glaring at the man.</p><p>Ignoring the temptation to dig out his precious sword, he leveled his wand at the Death Eater. The man looked at him with venom, and slowly rose to his feet.</p><p>His powers would be a last resort, as he was sure the gods wouldn’t be too happy with him just flaunting it around. God, he really needed to figure something out with that. He couldn’t let the whole Wizarding World know, but he was so much stronger with his abilities, and his sword, and he was thrown for a loop when he couldn’t use them to strike.</p><p>“Jackson?” Harry said in disbelief.</p><p>Percy ignored him. “Look, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.” He said, allowing a small smile to grace his face.</p><p>The man stared at him, and let out a loud laugh. “Do you think you’re in the position to be making demands? Take a look around you. Just give the prophecy up, and we can all leave this behind.”</p><p>Percy tilted his head to the side. “Alright then.” He sighed, “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.”</p><p>Ignoring any of his instincts that are yelling at him, saying this was a bad idea, he fished Riptide out of his pocket.</p><p>Riptide didn’t work on mortals, but he had a theory. Since every witch and wizard were products of Hecate, he bet that they had enough demigod blood in them for the blade to recognize it.</p><p>If not, well, he’d have to look into getting a blade that did.</p><p>He flipped the cap off with his thumb, watching it materialize in front of his eyes. He admired the shiny gold for a second, then he striked.</p><p>Dashing forward, he ducked under the Death Eaters arm, and came up behind his back, holding his sword parallel to his neck. He gently set it against the man’s throat, feeling the blade apply pressure, and smiled.</p><p>“Now, you can let everyone go, or blondie here dies. Got it?” He questioned.</p><p>“Don’t!” The man snapped to his colleagues, not daring to move his head. “The prophecy is more important!”</p><p>Percy sighed. He’d hate to kill a man in front of the kids. Not only would it probably scar them, it would only serve to further push them away from him.</p><p>“Well then, if you insist.” He said, moving his arm to press harder.</p><p>His side flared in pain, as he flew sideways, before hitting the wall. His head clacked painfully against the concrete, and he groaned. He felt the cold material under his back as he slid to the ground, before rolling and standing to his feet.</p><p>By the time he was on his feet, it seemed that chaos had ensued. Different colors of light filled his vision, as spells were bouncing around the room. He only recognized Sirius, and Remus, but it seemed that back up from the Order had finally arrived. He saw Harry’s friends, free, and fighting, while Harry was flinging spells next to Sirius, glowing crystal ball out of sight. </p><p>He sighed, before he figured that he should join them. Sprinting forward, he reached out his sword arm, blocking a spell that came flying towards him. He ducked and weaved around the soaring light show, not entirely sure that one impact with a spell won’t just kill him outright. </p><p>He made his way behind Sirius, eyes tracking the spells that the Death Eater they were facing were casting. Sirius casted shield after shield, wordlessly, yet Percy had the feeling that something was about to go wrong.</p><p>He tensed his legs as a second spell came flying right after the first one. It was a shiny, emerald green, that told Percy if this hit someone, it would be very, very bad.</p><p>Time slowed down as he watched Sirius, unprepared for a spell so quickly, scramble to put up a shield. Percy lunged forward, grabbing Sirius’ midsection, and knocked him to the ground. The green spell went flying over their heads, uselessly smacking into the wall behind them, and fizzling to nothing. </p><p>Percy rolled off of the man, and hopped to his feet. He quickly offered his hand, and pulled the man upright.</p><p>Sirius gave him a hesitant smile, before returning to his duel.</p><p>Percy took a few steps away, slinking to the wall in order to see where he would be needed. It stung inside to know that he was useless right now, his magical abilities very limited. He’d have to pray to Hecate sometime soon, ask her for help.</p><p>As his eyes were tracking the battlefield, he flinched as something flew into his side, jabbing into his ribs. His limbs instantly locked up, and he hit the ground, his head clacking painfully to the cement. His fingers released his sword, and he heard it uselessly clutter the ground.</p><p>Then, he was being dragged against the rough concrete, wincing internally as a particularly jagged piece scraped his cheek, feeling blood instantly rush to the site.</p><p>He was taken to a different room, before the hold on his body was released, but shackles appeared on his wrists and ankles, wrapping tightly. He rolled over onto his side, and sat up. When he looked up, he was staring into the grey eyes of the platinum blond Death Eater that he had shoved to the floor earlier.</p><p>For a second, the man was still. Then, he reached out his right arm and grabbed Percy’s chin, roughly tilting his head up, his rings digging uncomfortably into his face.</p><p>“Perseus Jackson.” He spat, and Percy raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“You know who I am.” Percy stated, staring unblinkingly into the man’s face.</p><p>“Of course.” The man hissed, letting go of Percy’s face and taking a step back. “The Dark Lord’s closest all know of his plans regarding the godly world, and your interference.”</p><p>The man paced a few steps with his cane, before turning his head back to look at Percy. “In fact, I should just kill you where you sit. I would be handsomely rewarded.” He sneered, unsheathing the wand hidden in his cane.</p><p>Percy felt a grin make its way on his face. “So confident that you can kill me. Many have tried, yet not one has succeeded.” </p><p>The man across from him scowled. As he started to lift his wand, Percy raised his feet and slammed his heels into the ground. The ground trembled, as Percy sent a short shockwave through the earth, and the man was knocked off his feet. Percy twisted his body so that his hands could reach into his pockets. His fingers closed around his pen, and he drew it out. Flicking the cap off with his thumb, he shimmied the blade between the ropes on his wrists. With one flick, the ropes fell away, before doing the same to his ankles.</p><p>He stood up, pointing his blade at the man still attempting to get off the ground. “As I said, many have tried.”</p><p>Percy’s head turned as he heard the sounds of many people apparating nearby, loud pops echoing throughout the room. </p><p>“We’ll meet again, Jackson.” The man spat, before instantly disappearing with a pop.</p><p>Percy sighed and capped his sword. He started to walk to the voices, before he paused to wipe the blood off his cheek. Time to deal with the aftermath.</p><hr/><p>As Dumbledore dealt with the wide-eyed Ministry officials that appeared as soon as Voldemort retreated, Harry turned to question his godfather.</p><p>“How do you know who Jackson is?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Jackson?” Sirius asked, confused.</p><p>Harry restrained the urge to roll his eyes. “Percy.” He clarified.</p><p>Sirius nodded slowly. “He’s… here to help.” He said unsure, not knowing how much he should reveal.</p><p>“Here to help? You mean he’s part of the Order?” Harry questioned.</p><p>“Yes, he’s part of the Order.” Sirius replied. He turned his head to make eye contact with Harry, which might’ve been a mistake. Even Sirius could see the rage in Harry’s eyes, but he didn’t know why he was so angry.</p><p>“What? How is he part of the Order? He’s a Slytherin! He has the Dark Mark!” He practically shouted, only lowering his voice when Sirius shot a look at him.</p><p>“The Dark Mark?” Sirius narrowed his eyes.</p><p>“Yes! He’s a Death Eater.” Harry pleaded with his godfather.</p><p>“Are you sure you saw the Dark Mark on his arm?” Sirius questioned, turning to face Harry, and putting both of his hands on the other’s shoulders.</p><p>Harry stuttered, “Hermione, well- she saw a black tattoo on his left forearm. It has to be the Dark Mark, though, what other tattoo could it be?”</p><p>Sirius frowned at him. “Did Hermione say she clearly saw the Dark Mark?” He asked.</p><p>Harry quietened down, “I- no. No, she didn’t.”</p><p>Sirius bent his head a little lower to be at the same height as Harry. “Listen, Harry. Dumbledore trusts this boy, and he saved my life tonight. I sincerely doubt that he is a Death Eater.”</p><p>Harry stared into his eyes, and blinked. “It’s not fair.” He said quietly, a little whine hidden in his words. “I’m the one who is in the prophecy. I should be out there, fighting! Yet Dumbledore refuses to even glance my way, much less allow me into the order.” He ranted, looking away from his godfather. “I just don’t get it. Why?” He asked softly, glancing up.</p><p>Sirius frowned, his heart clenching inside of his chest. “Harry…” He trailed off. “You’re young, still a teenager. You’ve already had too much of your childhood ripped away from you. Percy’s an adult, he’s made his choice. But you,” He paused. “I don’t want to see you in any more pain. Please, Harry, take the summer, and let the Order handle things that need to be done.”</p><p>Harry pursed his lips, clearly unhappy, but was unwilling to fight with his godfather. “Fine,” He muttered.</p><p>Sirius smiled at him, and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “Alright then, it’s time to get you sent back to Hogwarts. We’ll see each other soon. I’ll write when it’s safe. Take care, Harry.”</p>
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